The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has weakened important mechanisms created to promote regional integration, the Presidency has said.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said the departure of the three Sahelian countries created a major regional crisis and disrupted established arrangements for economic cooperation, including protocols supporting the movement of goods and services across West Africa.
Dare made the assessment on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at a policy colloquium organised by the Ministry of Defence. He linked the changing regional environment to wider questions around border management, economic integration and security cooperation among West African states.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formally left ECOWAS in January 2025 after announcing their intention to withdraw from the regional bloc in 2024. The three countries subsequently strengthened their cooperation through the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), creating a separate regional framework outside ECOWAS.
According to Dare, the development has had consequences beyond the political relationship between the three countries and ECOWAS because it has affected some of the regional mechanisms designed to facilitate integration.
“The rupture that came in 2025 when the countries pulled out of ECOWAS created a major regional crisis. That pullout from ECOWAS simply blunted the ECOWAS protocol that promoted integration and the free movement of goods and services,” he said.
“It eventually led to the creation of AES, another counter-regional body to ECOWAS. But it also challenged the other instruments and protocols that we have for regional cooperation.”
Dare’s comments placed border management at the centre of the discussion, arguing that the way West African countries manage their borders has implications for both economic cooperation and regional security.
He said borders should not be viewed only as physical boundaries separating countries, but also as important points through which economic activity, movement and security concerns are managed.
“My research, which bordered at the same time the opportunity of regional cooperation, also, it serves as the front line for regional security,” Dare said.
The presidential aide maintained that effective border management could support the objectives of regional integration by allowing legitimate movement while ensuring that security and regulatory requirements were respected.
At the same time, he warned against treating border security as a political instrument. Dare dismissed claims that Nigeria’s borders were closed and cautioned politicians against using border issues to score electoral points.
“The Interior Minister has stated the facts. Nigeria’s borders are open. And let me say for a fact, when it comes to the stability of our borders, when it comes to security, it should not be an arena of politicking or an arena to seek votes or to score cheap political points,” he said.
He stressed, however, that the description of Nigeria’s borders as open should not be interpreted as meaning that movement across them was uncontrolled.
According to Dare, relevant government agencies continue to regulate the movement of people and goods, with immigration, customs and other security institutions playing their respective roles in border management.
“Our borders are critical. There are no open borders without controls. So you must understand there is a distinction,” he said.
The comments came against the backdrop of the broader security and regional cooperation issues discussed at the defence policy colloquium. The forum brought together participants to consider Nigeria’s security environment and the policies required to strengthen national resilience.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd.), said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was placing national security at the centre of its efforts to protect Nigeria’s sovereignty, sustain democratic institutions and support national development.
Musa said the President had repeatedly reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening national security and ensuring that the Armed Forces had the capabilities necessary to protect the country.
“This strategic direction recognises that a secure and stable Nigeria is essential to the protection of our sovereignty, the preservation of our democratic institutions and the advancement of national development,” the minister said.
“In line with this priority, the Ministry of Defence remains focused on strengthening defence capabilities, advancing military modernisation and ensuring that the Armed Forces are adequately positioned to respond to the demands of the security environment.”
The defence minister said Nigeria’s security concerns were no longer limited to a single operational domain. He identified developments across the land, maritime, air and cyber environments as increasingly important to the country’s strategic frontier.
Musa argued that responding effectively to these challenges would require greater coordination across the country’s defence and security architecture. He identified intelligence coordination, joint operations and interoperability among the Armed Forces and other relevant institutions as essential components of that approach.
“Our defence architecture must remain agile and forward-looking, with the capacity to anticipate threats, respond decisively and protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity and vital national interests,” he said.
The minister also highlighted the growing role of technology in contemporary defence operations. According to him, developments in artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, surveillance and reconnaissance, cyber capabilities and other emerging technologies are changing both military operations and the wider strategic environment.
Musa said Nigeria therefore needed to remain responsive to technological changes by investing in relevant capabilities while also developing the human resources, military doctrine and institutional structures required to use them effectively.
For the minister, technological advancement cannot be separated from the broader task of strengthening Nigeria’s defence capacity. He said the country must build the ability to integrate emerging technologies into its defence architecture as the nature of security threats continues to evolve.
The policy colloquium also focused on the need for cooperation among different sectors involved in national security and policymaking.
Special Adviser to the Minister on Media, Leah Katung-Babatunde, said the event was designed as a non-partisan platform where different groups could engage with the country’s security challenges and develop practical responses.
She said the organisers deliberately brought together defence strategists, policymakers, technologists, civil society leaders, academics, media professionals and other state actors to encourage a broader examination of national security issues.
“We are not assembled here today merely to catalogue challenges, but to forge actionable pathways, inform public policy, and construct a practical blueprint for national resilience,” Katung-Babatunde said.
The discussions highlighted the connection between Nigeria’s internal security priorities and developments within the wider West African region. Dare’s assessment of the ECOWAS rupture underscored the difficulty of maintaining regional integration when member states establish alternative cooperation structures, while Musa’s presentation focused on the need for Nigeria to strengthen its own defence capabilities in response to an evolving security environment.
Dare’s remarks also reinforced the importance of balancing the objectives of regional economic integration with effective border controls. While open borders can support the movement of legitimate trade and people, he stressed that security and regulatory agencies must continue to exercise appropriate oversight.
The withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, according to the Presidency, has therefore introduced a significant challenge to the regional integration framework previously built around ECOWAS protocols. Their subsequent cooperation through the AES has created another regional platform, while also testing existing arrangements for cooperation among West African countries.
For Nigeria, the issue carries both economic and security dimensions. Dare’s comments suggested that maintaining effective borders and regional cooperation will remain important as West Africa deals with the consequences of the ECOWAS split and the changing security environment across the Sahel.
At the national level, Musa said the government would continue focusing on modernising the Armed Forces, improving coordination among security institutions and adopting technologies capable of addressing emerging threats.
The policy colloquium ultimately brought together these interconnected concerns: regional integration, border management, national sovereignty, military preparedness and technological change. The Presidency’s position was that Nigeria must continue to protect its borders while supporting legitimate regional cooperation, and at the same time strengthen its defence architecture to meet evolving threats.
B/Faso, Mali, Niger Exit Blunts ECOWAS Integration, Presidency Says
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, speaking on Mic On Podcast. Credit: X| Themiconshow
